Experimental Study and Optimization of Wear–Corrosion Synergy in Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Tungsten Diselenide (WSe2) Reinforced Al6061 Hybrid Composites Using the Taguchi Method

Abstract AA6061 based hybrid aluminum matrix composites were successfully produced via stir casting. Al6061/7 wt.% SiC/0.05 wt.% WSe2 and Al6061/14 wt.% SiC/0.1 wt.% WSe2 were developed and evaluated for mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the uniform distribution of reinforcement phases within the aluminum matrix. Mechanical properties improved with increasing reinforcement content, with hardness rising from 105 HV to 121 HV, and yield and ultimate tensile strengths increasing from 275 MPa and 310 MPa to 340 MPa and 395 MPa, respectively. Although ductility decreased, this trade-off is minor compared to the strength enhancement. Under dry sliding conditions, wear rate and coefficient of friction decreased significantly. The Al6061/14 wt.% SiC/0.1 wt.% WSe2 composite showed the lowest wear rate of 1.90 × 10−4 mm3/N·m. A transition in wear mechanism from adhesive to mild abrasive wear was observed, leading to the formation of a stable tribo-layer. Taguchi and ANOVA results indicate that material composition is the dominant factor influencing wear behavior, with high accuracy (R2 = 99.73%) and a contribution of 64.51%.Potentiodynamic polarization studies showed a reduction in corrosion current density from 3.85 to 2.45 μA/cm2, indicating improved corrosion resistance. Overall, the composites exhibit excellent performance for engineering and automotive applications.